US President Donald Trump’s senior trade adviser, Peter Navarro, has once again targeted India over its trade policies and energy dealings with Russia. This time, however, his claims were swiftly flagged by X’s community fact-checking system as “hypocritical.”
Navarro, known for his repeated attacks on India, accused New Delhi of “profiteering” from discounted Russian crude imports.
“FACTS: India highest tariffs cost US jobs. India buys Russian oil purely to profit/Revenues feed Russia war machine. Ukrainians/Russians die. US taxpayers shell out more. India can’t handle truth/spins,” Navarro wrote in a post.
FACTS: India highest tariffs costs U.S. jobs. India buys Russian oil purely to profit/Revenues feed Russia war machine. Ukrainians/Russians die. U.S. taxpayers shell out more. India can’t handle truth/spins @washpo
Leftist American fake news. QED. https://t.co/9UwdodYBEe— Peter Navarro (@RealPNavarro) September 5, 2025
X Fact-Checks Navarro’s Claims
X responded with a fact-checking note that challenged Navarro’s assertions. It clarified that India’s purchases of Russian oil are primarily for “energy security” and do not violate sanctions.
The note also pointed out that while India does impose certain tariffs, the US enjoys a trade surplus with New Delhi in services. It further highlighted the irony of Washington criticizing India’s energy imports while continuing to buy commodities like Russian uranium.
Another annotation added: “Navarro’s claims are hypocritical. India’s legal, sovereign purchases of Russian oil for energy security do not violate international law.”
Navarro Hits Back, Slams Elon Musk
The Trump aide was quick to lash out at the platform and its owner. In a follow-up post, Navarro accused Elon Musk of allowing “propaganda” to infiltrate X.
“Wow. @elonmusk is letting propaganda into people’s posts. That crap note below is just that. Crap. India buys Russian oil solely to profiteer. It didn’t buy any before Russia invaded Ukraine. Indian govt spin machine moving high tilt. Stop killing Ukrainians. Stop taking American jobs,” he wrote.
Wow. @elonmusk is letting propaganda into people’s posts. That crap note below is just that. Crap. India buys Russia oil solely to profiteer. It didn’t buy any before Russia invaded Ukraine. Indian govt spin machine moving high tilt. Stop killing Ukranians. Stop taking… https://t.co/Uj1NMUrVOM
— Peter Navarro (@RealPNavarro) September 6, 2025
Navarro has a history of incendiary remarks about India. In recent months, he branded India the “Maharaj of tariffs,” accused it of running a “profiteering scheme” with Russian oil, and controversially described the country as a “laundromat for the Kremlin.” His comments even included caste-based jibes, drawing strong criticism.
Tariff Tensions Strain Ties
The latest row comes against the backdrop of rising trade tensions. After Trump imposed steep secondary tariffs on India, some exceeding 50 percent, Navarro blamed New Delhi’s oil trade with Moscow for fueling the Ukraine conflict, even calling it “Modi’s war.”
Amid the strained atmosphere, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was recently seen engaging warmly with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin. Images of the three leaders smiling, shaking hands, and embracing were widely shared, signaling solidarity in the face of US pressure.
Shortly after, Trump declared that the US had “lost India to China,” though he later softened his remarks, saying he did not truly believe so.
“Special Relationship” Still Intact?
Despite the friction, Trump reiterated his personal rapport with PM Modi. “I get along very well with PM Modi, as you know. He was here a couple of months ago, in fact, we went to the Rose Garden and had a press conference,” he said, adding that India and the US share a “very special relationship.”
#WATCH | Washington DC | Responding to ANI’s question on resetting relations with India, US President Donald Trump says, “I always will, I will always be friends with Modi, he is a great Prime Minister, he is great… I just don’t like what he is doing at this particular moment,… pic.twitter.com/gzMQZfzSor
— ANI (@ANI) September 5, 2025
Responding to Trump’s remarks, Modi emphasized the strength of bilateral ties. “Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump’s sentiments and positive assessment of our ties. India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership,” the Prime Minister stated.
Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump’s sentiments and positive assessment of our ties.
India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership.@realDonaldTrump @POTUS https://t.co/4hLo9wBpeF
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 6, 2025
On PM Modi’s response to US President Donald Trump speaking positively on India-US relationship, EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, “PM Modi attaches enormous importance to our partnership with the US. Where President Trump is concerned, he (PM Modi) has always had a very good personal equation with President Trump. But the point is that we remain engaged with the US, and at this time, I can’t say more than that. But that’s really what I would say.”
